LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Surveillance cameras are popping up in some Louisville Metro Parks to help keep people safe.
They cameras are big, bright, loud and stick out like a sore thumb, but at parks across the city, those cameras are always watching and keeping criminals away.
"We found once the camera goes in, after 1 or 2 weeks of folks seeing the unit with the blue flashing light, the activities kind of move on," said Louisville Parks and Recreation director Jason Canuel.
He said the city is renting four mobile camera units that are being circulated through any of the system's 123 parks that have experienced issues like vandalism or trespassing.
The units are currently at Huston Quin Park, Shawnee Park, Ben Washer Park and Memorial Park. But one of the units will be moved to Iroquois Park this week.
Drew White spends a lot of down time at Ben Washer Park. "There's a lot of people doing dumb stuff. Literally all the time."
White said he has seen the vandalism, theft and disruption that can happen at any of Metro Louisville's parks across the city, but he said that has changed since the surveillance began.
"The camera is like having police out here 24/7," White said.
The cameras are always monitored even outside of normal park hours, and monitors can also speak to people through the camera.
"The person on the other end actually monitoring will give a verbal cue, 'Hey, you're being watched. Please vacate the park,'" Canuel said.
Aundre Core lives near Huston Quin Park and has heard the warnings, since the camera unit went up a few weeks ago.
"It'll start saying things like, 'Get out of the Park. You're trespassing.' Or, 'You're on camera," Core said.
Core has witnessed a fair share of issues here, most recently, homeless camps.
"They had the Port-A-Potties. I don't know if they're still on the side there. People were sleeping in it," Core said.
Metro Parks said since it began using camera units last summer, issues have disappeared, and those who use the parks hope it stays that way.
"The cameras are beneficial, if you ask me. We don't have any kind of problems any more," White said.
Metro Parks said it will continue to rotate the four camera units across the city where people are observing issues.
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